Administrative Contact Information

Department or Unit Contact/Phone Number
Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford, MD, MPH (512-776-7363)
Deputy Commissioner Kirk Cole (512-776-7376)
Senior Advisor Imelda Garcia, MPH (512-776-7186)
Senior Compliance & Accountability Official  Barbara L. Klein, JD, EMPL (512-776-7376) 
General Counsel Cynthia Hernandez (512-776-7236)
HHS Internal Audit Nicole Guerrero (512-428-1953)
HHS Information Resources Manager Rick Blanco
Chief of Staff Ricky Garcia (512-776-7376)
Center for External Relations Rachael Hendrickson (512-776-3765)
Communications Jennifer Van Gilder (512-776-6085)
Governmental Affairs Jordan Hill (512-776-3246)
Media Relations Chris Van Deusen (512-776-7119)
Center for System Coordination & Innovation Mercy Bryant, PhD, MBA (512-776-2370)
Process Improvement Anthony V. Patterson
Executive Operations and Support Angelica Martinez, MS, BSW, LBSW (512-776-6509)
Chief State Epidemiologist Varun Shetty, MD, (512-776-7789)
Deputy State Epidemiologist Diana Martinez, PhD (512-776-7198)
Disease Surveillance and Epidemiology Paul Grunenwald, DVM
Center for Health Statistics James Farris, PhD (512-776-3548)
Center for Public Health Policy & Practice Stephen Pont, MD, MPH (512-776-6483)
Office of Practice & Learning Courtney Dezendorf, MPH (512-776-3751)
Office of Public Health Policy  Aelia Akhtar (512-776-7324) 
Office of Preventive Medicine Elizabeth Howard, MD
Chief Financial Officer Christy Havel Burton (512-776-7426)
Deputy Chief Financial Officer Vacant (512-776-7640)
Accounting Section Leslie Aguilar (512-776-2227)
Claims Unit Felicia Poston (512-776-2525)
Assistant Accounting Director Barbara Kelly-King (512-776-2589)
Requisition Unit Manager Vernell McBride (512-776-2108)
Funds Coordination and Management Branch Elaine McHard (512-776-6646)
Revenue Management Unit Ashley Cheatham (512-776-2658)
General Ledger Unit Linda Costley 
Budget Section Amanda Hudson (512-776-6931)
Assistant Budget Director Ann Casey (512-776-7566)
Associate Commissioner for Program Operations Roberto Beaty (512-776-7153)
Business Support & Planning Danyale Bryant (512-776-7275)
Contract Management Patty Melchior (512-776-2115)
Fiscal Monitoring Ann Duncan (512-776-6991)
Program Support Operations Seth Stallings 
Public Health Portfolio Madhavi Koganti (512-776-6194)
Data Governance Carrie Bradford, PhD (512-776-7180) 
Associate Commissioner for Consumer Protection Timothy Stevenson, DVM, PhD (512-834-6660)
Deputy Associate Commissioner Luis Morales (512-834-6775)
Compliance Chris Drews (512-834-6621)
Environmental Annabelle Dillard (512-834-6608)
EMS / Trauma Systems Jorie Klein (512-834-6745)
Food and Drug Vacant 
Radiation Lisa Bruedigan, RT, RDMS (512-834-6629)
Meat Safety Assurance James Dillon, DVM, MPH (512-834-6760)
Associate Commissioner of Infectious Disease Prevention Services Josh Hutchison, MBA (512-776-7234)
Deputy Associate Commissioner Vacant 
HIV/STD Vacant 
Immunization Vacant
Associate Commissioner of Public Health Laboratory  Grace Kubin, PhD (512-776-2468)
Deputy Associate Commissioner Susan Tanksley, PhD (512-776-3106)
Quality Assurance Lisa Hutson (512-776-2423) 
Associate Commissioner for Regional & Local Health Operations David Gruber (512-776-7770)
Deputy Associate Commissioner Rachel Samsel, MSSW (512-776-3560)
Center for Health Emergency Preparedness & Response (CHEPR) Jeff Hoogheem (512-776-7219)
Texas Center for Infectious Disease John Lopez (210-531-4554)
Office of Border Public Health Karin Hopkins (512-810-7182)
Public Health Regions (PHR)  
Public Health Region 1 Scott Milton (806-744-3577)
Public Health Region 2/3 Aurelia Schmalstieg, MD (817-264-4500)
Public Health Region 4/5 Sharon Huff, MD, MS (903-595-3585)
Public Health Region 6/5 Carlos Plasencia, MD, MSPH (713-767-3000)
Public Health Region 7 Sharon Melville, MD, MPH (254-778-6744)
Public Health Region 8 Lillian Ringsdorf, MD, MPH (210-949-2000)
Public Health Region 9/10 Vacant
Public Health Region 11 Emilie Prot, DO, MPH (956-423-0130)
Associate Commissioner for Community Health Improvement Manda Hall, MD (512-776-7321)
Deputy Associate Commissioner Jeremy Triplett (512-776-2184)
Medical Director Kelly Fegan-Bohm, MD, MPH
Maternal & Child Health Director Lori Gabbert-Charney
Vital Statistics - State Registrar Tara Das, PhD (512-776-7646)
Environmental Epidemiology & Disease Registries Heidi Bojes, PhD, MPH (512-776-6351)
Health Promotion & Chronic Disease Prevention  Nimisha Bhakta, MPH
Health & Human Services Commission – Human Resources 1-888-894-4747
Health & Human Services Commission – Civil Rights Office 1-888-388-6332 or 512-438-4313

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